No one ever asks me what books my students are reading. Admins want to know about test scores or grades. I understand. Kind of. Maybe that's why I'd make a terrible principal. I don't usually know that stuff off the top of my head. I also probably put less stock in it than I should.

Students are people. I try to treat them as people instead of numbers and plot points. When I'm at the library or bookstore, I see books that remind me of students. I don't see books that remind of .xls files and report cards. Books remind me of students because I think they would like to read them, not because books will help their screen time in front of our reading intervention app.

Do you know what books your students are reading? Maybe I need to start asking more of that.

Pursuing Context

Thoughts on education, technology, and faith.

My name is Justin Stortz. I write about my experiences with teaching kids- the happy, the sad, the extraordinary, and the mundane. I’m passionate about writing, reading, and technology. I love how these things can make learning better.